The Cardinals started slow against the Blue Devils (4-2, 0-1). Brunswick opened the game on a methodical 19-play, 74-yard drive that ate up 9 minutes, 17 seconds of the clock. It was all on the ground, too, until quarterback Dan Yohman threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Nick Roberts on the final play of the drive.

When Trubisky's first pass was intercepted, the Devils started thinking upset.

Luckily for Mentor, it forced a Brunswick punt. Trubisky struck quickly on a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nick Delisa to knot the score at 7.

The Cardinals were building momentum, and once they got rolling, it was almost a scary sight.

Roberts, Brunswick's leading rusher with 86 yards on 25 carries, plowed into the end zone from 3 yards out for a 14-7 advantage with 5:14 left in the first quarter.

Mentor, ranked 11th in the most recent Associated Press Division I state poll, was just getting started. Trubisky executed a beautifully designed 33-yard screen pass to wide receiver Conner Krizancic that went the distance.

Brunswick quarterback Dan Yohman was stopped a fourth-and-1 at the Mentor 44-yard line with 1:05 left in the first half.

Trivisonno thought it was the turning point in the game.

"They went for it at the 50 and didn't make it," he said. "That was a 14-point swing there."

It was after Brandon Fritts scored five plays later on a 16-yard TD pass from Trubisky with 19 seconds left in the first half. Suddenly, the Cardinals' lead grew to 21-14.

Mentor blitzed the Devils, 21-0, in the third quarter to turn a close game into a rout.

"Once their offense gets into a rhythm, it's very dangerous," Brunswick coach Luke Beal said. "That fourth down right before the half, we have to find a way to get a first down. If you don't, they'll hurt you. That's exactly what happened.

"In the third quarter, we were going three-and-out and had the fumble on our second possession. That really killed us."

The Cardinals' quick-strike ability worried Beal.

"We wanted to prevent them from getting quick scores -- boom, boom -- and that's what happened in the third quarter," he said. "That's what makes their offense so dangerous.

"Things slipped away from us in the second half. Football is a game of momentum. They had all the momentum. We couldn't find a way to slow them down."

Beal came away highly impressed with the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Trubisky.

"If he was just a thrower, that would be different," he said. "He runs very well. A lot of people don't realize how dangerous he is running the ball.

"He's hard to get a pad on. He eludes pressure and makes plays with his feet."

The Cardinals had a feeling Trubisky would be able to exploit Brunswick's defense with his legs.

"We took advantage of what they gave us," the All-Ohio quarterback said. "We hit the 'hots' when they blitzed. My O-line did a great job up front. We saw it on film. If they were going to play man-on-man across the board, my coach told me I was going to run the ball. I was ready for it."

Mentor has won three games in a row after its loss to No. 1-ranked St. Ignatius.

"We're still climbing up the stairs," Trubisky said. "We're still progressing. We're getting better each and every week. That game is far behind us. We're looking forward to making a run toward the playoffs."

Trivisonno said with the exception of the Parma game, the Cardinals have trailed in every game this season.

"You just got to relax," he said. "We played very well. This was our best performance of the year."

The same could be said of Krizancic. He caught eight passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns.